Personal
Fullname: Thomas McGregor
aka: Tom McGregor
Born: 23 Nov 1893
Died: […]
Birthplace: Laurieston
Signed: 14 Sep 1910
Left: 5 May 1919 (to Motherwell)
Position: Defender
Debut: Celtic 3-0 Hamilton, League, 26 Apr 1911
Internationals: none
Biog
‘Ruddy-countenanced Laurieston youth’ Thomas McGregor was an ever dependable stand-by who served Celtic well for nine years, however this was interspersed with a number of loan spells, especially in 1918. He was essentially a stand-by in the squad for much of his time but still amassed a number of appearances.
“There aren’t many clubs who could have afforded to keep McGregor as a reserve for so long” (23 Feb 1918)
“McGregor possesses all the attributes of a first-class full-back”
Signed from Kilsyth Emmet in September 1910 he would make his debut in a 3-0 league victory over Hamilton at Parkhead on 26th April 1911.
Strong and swift McGregor was mostly deputy to the great Alec McNair and the excellent Joe Dodds but when he was called into the side he seldom delivered anything other than an excellent performance as reflected in the results.
His best season was probably 1913/14 when he was part of the double winning league & cup Celtic team, playing a part in both the league and Scottish Cup (early rounds). He only played in one defeat that season , a 1-0 defeat to Falkirk in the league.
He got to go in place of Alec McNair in the European Tour, which included playing Burnley in Budapest for the Budapest Cup which was an unofficial ‘Battle of Britain’, and then later played in the replay back at Burnley’s ground.
His longest runs were in seasons 1913/14 to 1915/16, playing 15-17 games each season giving him a right to call himself to be more than just a reserve.
In 1914-15 when he filled in for Peter Johnstone for a spell at the start of the 1914-15 season, he again had just the one defeat in his league match appearances (albeit one defeat in the Glasgow Cup too). He managed to win a place in the end-season Glasgow Charity Cup final that season too which Celtic won 3-2 v Raith Rovers.
He finally left Parkhead in May 1919 for Motherwell (for the then large sum of £400) after making 80 league & Scottish Cup appearances. He was only winning the odd sporadic run over most of the seasons, but was a dedicated defender as reflected by his tally of zero goals over all those appearances. Ironically, soon after leaving Celtic, he was in a Motherwell side that went on to lose 5-0 v Celtic.
His greatest personal highlight? Apart from the great set of silverware he won at Celtic, it was possibly being nominated the reserve right-back for Scotland v Wales at Celtic Park. Always that darned reserve tag, although he still played a very good part in helping Celtic to remain at the top in those difficult war years.
He had helped Celtic to five league titles and one Scottish Cup over his time at Celtic. A great record and a fine patient stalwart.
He moved onto Alloa for £200 for a year’s loan transfer in 1921 but Alloa paid another £200 to keep him in 1922, where he was to wrap up his career in 1924. He was to be a key man at the back for Alloa alongside Bobby Orrock helping Alloa to promotion to the top flight.
Playing Career
| APPEARANCES | LEAGUE | SCOTTISH CUP | LEAGUE CUP | EUROPE | TOTAL |
| 1910-1919 | 77 | 3 | – | – | 80 |
| Goals | 0 | 0 | – | – | 0 |